John McCain hits Republicans on budget, again

Sen. John McCain hammered his fellow Republicans on Thursday, saying that further objections to moving ahead on the budget could carry dramatic implications for future bills, including immigration.

Tea party conservatives have objected to a House-Senate conference on the budget resolution, fearing that a deal could mean the adoption of a debt ceiling increase. Democrats and some Republicans have cried foul, and McCain, an Arizona Republican, said on the floor that if the GOP seeks to require conditions before going to conference, there’s nothing preventing the same thing happening on future bills, such as the farm bill currently on the floor or immigration legislation later this year.

And furthermore, blocking a conference could entice Democrats to try and change Senate rules, he said. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been speaking to Democrats on a plan to overhaul the filibuster for executive branch nominees and some liberals have been pushing him to go further.

“If we continue to block things like this and block what is the regular order, than the majority will be tempted to change the rules of the Senate,” McCain added. “That would be the most disastrous outcome anyone could imagine.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, accused Democrats of trying to arrange a conference simply to hike the debt ceiling with a simple majority instead of 60 votes.

“This is all an avenue to allow the debt ceiling increase with 50 votes,” Cruz argued. “This issue gets obscured by the procedural complexities and that’s not by accident.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), one of the senators who opposes a budget conference without a debt limit deal, says he’s trying to block a backroom deal that’s indicative of how Washington has worked — and failed — over the years.

“We’re fully aware that Washington and the establishment in both parties don’t like what we’re saying,” Lee said, which is the point of his objections.

“In case no one’s noticed, the way Washington works stinks,” Lee said.

“There is a reason… that six of the 10 wealthiest counties in the United States are suburbs of Washington, D.C., a city that produces almost nothing in real tangible economic value,” Lee added. “And it’s not because the two parties have been so effective, taking on the special interests and doing the people’s business.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who made Thursday’s motion to go to conference, cited the GOP’s attacks on the majority for not doing a budget resolution over the past four years, saying she heard about it “10,000 times” while running for reelection last year in Missouri.

“It’s pretty obvious they didn’t want a budget; they wanted a political talking point,” she said.

McCain, for his part, said that yes, he had enjoyed attacking the Democrats over the budget in recent years.

“I loved beating the daylights out of my friend from Missouri who would not insist on bringing a budget to the floor of the Senate,” he said.